Anna Gkotzamani is an agronomist specializing in vegetable crops and sustainable agricultural production systems. She is a first-year PhD candidate in the Department of Horticulture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Her research focuses on the effects of dynamic environmental fluctuations, primarily in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs), on the growth, physiology, and quality of vegetable seedlings. High-quality seedlings are critical for successful crop establishment and lateral development, especially under the constraints of non-fully controlled conditions and limited space in traditional greenhouse nurseries. PFALs offer the advantages of a fully controlled, adjustable environment and vertical farming system that supports improved seedling quality and higher production efficiency. In her award-winning presentation, Anna presented findings on the production of watermelon scions under dynamic LED-lighting in a PFAL. The study showed that carefully timed and combined light regimes can significantly enhance seedling vigor. These results are promising for producing high-quality seedlings, while also increasing yield and resource-use efficiency, and optimizing production planning.
Anna Gkotzamani won the ISHS Young Minds Award for the best oral presentation at the IX International Symposium on Seed, Transplant and Stand Establishment of Horticultural Crops and III International Symposium on Vegetable Grafting in Greece in June 2025.
Anna Gkotzamani, Lab of Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, e-mail: agkotzam@agro.auth.gr
The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae